Science
Bhuvan Krishna
Sep 06, 2023, 12:07 PM | Updated 12:07 PM IST
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The search for Earth-like planets has always been a key focus in the fields of astronomy and planetary science.
Additionally, the discovery of Earth-like planets provides valuable insights into the existence of habitable environments beyond our own planet that could potentially support life.
Astronomers have recently made promising discoveries in their quest for Earth-like planets.
There are indications of a planet similar to Earth within our solar system, potentially located in an orbit beyond Neptune around the Sun.
The recent findings are the result of a study conducted by Patryk Sofia Lykawka of Kindai University in Osaka, Japan, and Takashi Ito of the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan in Tokyo.
The researchers have published a study in The Astronomical Journal where they predict the existence of a planet similar to Earth.
The researchers have wrote "It is plausible that a primordial planetary body could survive in the distant Kuiper Belt as a Kuiper Belt planet (KBP), as many such bodies existed in the early solar system. More detailed knowledge of the orbital structure in the distant Kuiper Belt can reveal or rule out the existence of any hypothetical planet in the outer Solar System."
They further added "In conclusion, the results of the Kuiper Belt planet scenario support the existence of a yet-undiscovered planet in the far outer Solar System," the researchers write.
Scientists speculate that the hypothetical planet is situated at a distance of 250 to 500 astronomical units (AU) from the Sun.
The discovery of a planet in close proximity to the Kuiper Belt could offer valuable insights into the mechanisms of planet formation and evolution.
This finding has the potential to bring new perspectives and limitations to the study of this field.
Bhuvan Krishna is Staff Writer at Swarajya.